Weft laying mechanism for a wire cloth loom



y 6,1931 H. L. THoMPsaN 2,086,2 8

WEFT LAYING MECHANISM FOR A WIRE CLOTH LOOM Filed Odt. 1, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jwm ##2## 1/. 7/1/27) 14/7 M7???" 3 /whuam/ I si n/fly! July 6, 1937.

H. L., THOMPSON WEFT LAYING MECHANISM FOR A WIRE CLOTH LOOM Filed Oct. 1, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES Illinois WEFT LAYING MECHANISM FOR A WIRE CLOTH LOOM Herbert L. Thompson, Elgin, 111., assignor to Reynolds Wire 00., Dixon, 111., a corporation of Application October 1, 1935, Serial No. 43,034

13 Claims.

My present invention relates to weft laying mechanism for a wire cloth loom. It applies particularly to wire cloth looms, in which the warp wires are fed upwardly in a vertical path during the weaving process.

My mechanism may be practically applied to a loom, such as that disclosed in my Patent. No. 2,022,225, November 26, 1935.

One of the major features of this loom concerns the method of applying the weft. This is done by rolling" a large discus-shaped shuttle containing a heavy coil of wire, back and forth through the vertical warp shed. The wire issues from the central eyeat one side of the shuttle 1:, and the shuttle rolling upon its own periphery is supported by special horizontally disposed heddles which constitute a path for it.

Originally this shuttle path was continuously horizontal outside of the shed and the shuttle rolledback and forth in a straight horizontal line. This required lifting fingers to engage the weft wire issuing from the shuttle just outside the shed, and raise it to where it would be held by the selvage loop retainer and insure its being 535 beaten into position by the swinging beater.

As the lifting fingers reached the upper end of their motion, the weft wire was tensioned between the finger and the shuttle eye, and the dropping of the finger left the wire less tense 39 between the selvage loop retainer and the shuttle eye; As the movement of the shuttle starting the next beat occurred, the shuttle moving diagonally toward the selvage loop retainer and directly toward the shed, shortened the distance from the shuttle eye to the loop retainer, and consequently, a looping or bending of the weft Wire between the shuttle eye and the loop retainer was brought about.

The shuttle entering the shed on its passage, necessarily drew this portion of loose and unguided wire into the shed where it remained loose until the travel of the shuttle consumed the extra length of wire and again tensioned it between its eye and the same loop retainer. If

loose wire engaging some of the warp or getting twisted upon itself, that course of weft was properly laid and the finger on the receiving side of the machine raised the tensioned weft wire into place.

Unfortunately, the fact that no guard or guide for this wire could extend intothe shed itself, always left the last loop after the shuttle entered the shed, out of control, and it would fre- 55 quently twist or engage'th'e warp'with a conse.-.

- the shuttle reached this position without the quent marring of the cloth. As the lifting fingers required considerable mechanism for their oper-' made in the form of a unit, two of which are required on each loom, one right-handed on one side of the weaving cloth and the other reversed or left-handed on the opposite side of the. loom. Each unit comprises imeans for forcefully expelling the shuttle across the warp shed, receiving it upon the completion of its return passage, elevating it to above the weaving point-over a curved path and retaining it until its subsequent deliveryin machine cycle time. The .pathof the shuttle during its operation is such that no "loose wire is left at any time. 1

It is a purpose of my present invention to provide selvage loop retainers and a tension mechanism of simple construction and effective operation.

Another purpose is to. provide suitable means for actuating the units from a driving shaft supported on the loom.

With these and other objects in View, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of weft laying mechanism for a wire cloth loom,

in'my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings-in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of one of the units forming my present invention installed on the frame of a wire cloth weaving loom.'

Figure 2 is a top or plan view of the unit.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the unit viewed from the middle of the 10cm. 1

Figure 4 is a detailed, sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view illustrat' ing the mounting of the selvage loop retainer; and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the way in which my selvage laying mechanism maintains the selvage wire taut at all times.

In the accompanying drawings, the reference numeral It] indicates one of the side members of the loom. Bolted or otherwise'supported on the side member I6 is a bracket I2. The bracket I2 is dove-tailed shape at its upper end to adjustably receive a frame of the unit. The frame of the unit comprises the two side members I4 and I6. The side. member I6 is arranged to slidably fit on the bracket I2 as shown in Figure 3. The frame member I4 rests on the member I2, is locked thereto by means of a locking bar I8, which extends below the projecting upper edge of the bracket I2, and is bolted to the frame member I4. These side frame members I4 and I6 comprise upright walls spaced from each other to receive the shuttle and part of the mechanism between them.

The description of one unit will be sufficient to explain the other.

It will be understood from the description already given that by loosening the proper bolts, the units may be adjusted laterally on the loom for weaving cloth of different widths.

At the upper inner corner of'each frame member I6 is a boss 26 in which is journaled a shaft 2| projecting in both directions from the boss. Between the frame members I4 and I6 is a strip or plate 22 forming the bottom of the shuttle path. The strip or plate has a boss 24 at its lower end, fastened to the frame members l4 and I6 by bolts and the like 26, as shown in Figure 1. i

The strip 22 extends from the frame member I6 to the frame member I4 and cooperates with them to form a channel-shaped path for the shuttle. The strip 22 is somewhat resilient. It is curved from top to bottom on the arc of a circle, having its center at the center of the shaft 2|. The shaft 2| is in line with the lower part of the finished wire cloth 28.

At its upper end, the strip 22 has spaced opposite ears 36 provided with elongated slots 32. Screw bolts 34 extend through the slots 32 and are screwed into the walls I6 and I4. This construction is to allow some adjustment of the shuttle path strip 22, for purposes hereinafter explained.

In connection with this channel-shaped shuttle path already described, I provide mechanism for receiving the shuttle 36 and for driving it with great force and speed from the unit. The shuttle may be such a one as is referred to in my former application already identified or of the type shown in my issued patent, No. 1,890,008.

I shall now describe the shuttle controlling mechanism.

This mechanism is intended to receive the shuttle when driven from one unit to another and to utilize as far as possible the unspent energy of the rolling shuttle as it moves towards its final position, then to move the shuttle to final position, and then to discharge it toward the opposite unit.

As the shuttle is received in a unit, its unspent momentum tends to move the actuating mechanism toward position for discharging the shuttle. Mechanism operated from a driving shaft on the loom completes the return of the shuttle to its starting position and helps to discharge it from such position for rolling it across the heddles toward the opposite unit.

The shuttle 36 in Figure 1 is shown just as it enters the unit on what may be called the righthand side of the loom. It then engages the shuttle impelling roller 38 and moves that roller toward starting position. As the shuttle moves along its channel-shaped path toward its extreme position, the roller 46 follows the path,

which causes it to engage the front of the shuttle, and mechanism hereinafter described, actuates the roller 46 for moving the shuttle to its final position. From this position it is discharged to carry another weft wire across the loom.

The frame member I6 is provided with a slot or opening 4|, which in. general is crescentshaped. The upper and inner edge thereof forms a cam surface for purposes later mentioned, and at the lower end thereof is a narrow upward extension 42, the edges of which are cam surfaces to function as hereinafter explained. A substantially U-shaped lever 43 has its closed end traveling in the slot or opening 4| and its opposite arms journaled on the shaft 2| on opposite sides of the boss 20 as indicated .at 43a and 43b in Figure 3.

The portion 43a of the lever 43 has an arm 44 extending substantially at right angles to the lever 43, so that the lever 43 and arm 44 form practically a bell crank lever, of which 44 is much the shorter member.

Journaled on the shaft 2| between the portion 43a of. the lever 43 and the boss 20 is a toggle lever member 46, which has spaced from its outer end a transverse shoulder 48. A second toggle lever member 56 has an elongated slot 52. A'pin 54 extends through the elongated slot 52 and is secured to thetoggle lever member 46. The inner end of the toggle lever member 56 for a portion of the width of said toggle lever, as indicated at 55 in Figure 4, is adapted in one position of the toggle lever member 56 to abut snugly against the shoulder 48 of the toggle lever 46. This is the position of the parts when. the levers 46 and 50 are in alignment. A portion of the same end of the lever 59 is beveled as at 58 to abut against the shoulder 48 when the toggle lever members 46 and 56 are rocked or tilted to position out of alignment with each other. The outer or other end of the toggle lever 50 is pivoted to one end of the curved toothed rack 60, the outer toothed face of which is curved substantially on the arc of a circle having its center at the center of the shaft 2|. The lower end of the rack 60 is pivotally supported on the frame l6.

Pivoted on one arm of. the lever 43 is a pawl 62 to coact with the teeth of the rack 66. A spring 64 secured to the pawl 62 and to the lever 43 urges the pawl toward engagement with the teeth of the rack 66.

A pin 66 secured to the lever 43 limits the movement of the pawl toward the rack, so that the rack may be swung away from the pawl during the operation of the mechanism.

On the portion 43a; of the lever 43 is a little extension or lug-6 from which projects a pin 68 (Figures 2 and 3). When the lever 43 isin its lowermost position, the pin 68 engages the toggle lever member 46 (Figures 1 and 4).

The rack 66 is spring-urged by a spring 69 toward the shaft 2|. The tendency when the parts are in the position just mentioned is for the toggle members 46 to 56 to remain in their aligned position, and the pin 68 acting on the toggle lever 46, and thus on the toggle lever 50, and the rack 66, tends to hold the rack in engagement with the pawl 62.

The lever 43 carries an adjustable screw I0 (Figure 1) which is so arranged with relation to the other parts that when the lever moves to the extreme upward limit of its swinging stroke 38 (Figure 3).

during the operation of the mechanism, the head of the screw engages the toggle lever member 50 in such manner as to rock the toggle lever members from their aligned position as illus- 1 trated in Figure 4 and in full lines in Figure l to their dotted line position as illustrated in Figure 1, whereupon the rack 63 is drawn away from the pawl 62. Thusduring the time when the lever 43 is swinging upwardly from its position shown in Figure l and until the pawl 32 is released, that pawl serves to function to prevent any return movement of the lever.

On the return of the lever to its full lower position, the pin 68 already mentioned engages the toggle member 46 and moves the toggle levers 46 and 50 to their aligned position, and thus moves the rack 60 back into engagement with the pawl 62.

Both positions of the toggle. are maintained during the movement of the rack 60, because the lever 43 is spring-urged by the spring 69 toward the shaft 2|, and both movement limits of the toggle members are somewhat past the line of the centers of their three pivot points.

The lever 43 is perhaps the most important of the moving members of the unit. It has a movement of about 85 about the shaft 2i and the motions of the other members of the unit are dependent upon that of the lever 43. A pin 12 projects from the lever 43 into the lateral center of the path of the shuttle 36 and is pivoted to a lever 13 between the ends thereof. The lower end of the lever 13 has a yoke 14, journaled in which is the shuttle impelling roller The other end of the lever '13 is pivoted to the lever 76, which has at its upper end a yoke H pivoted to the upper end of. a somewhat resilient bracket 18 extending upwardly from the outer upper portions of the walls i4 and H5.

The roller 40, which assists in moving the shuttle 36 to its final upper position and holds it there, is connected with the lever 43 in the following manner: 7

A lever 80 is pivoted at 8| to the inside of one arm of the lever 43 and extends therefrom toward the slot or opening 4|. lever 80 by the pin Bla opposite the pivot BI is a lever 82 which carries a pin or the like 83,

' on which is a roller 84, adapted to travel 'on the inner edge of the slot or opening 4i and into the cam slot 42.

On the pin 83 beyond the roller 84 is the roller 40 already mentioned.

For keeping the levers 43 and 89 yieldingly at the right relative limited angle, I provide a link 85 pivoted at one end on the pivot pin Sla and pivoted at its other end to a second link 86. The link 85 is also pivoted on the pivot pin 12. A spring 81 is connected to the pivot pin 88 of the links 85 and 86 and also to the lever 43, so that these links are spring-urged to an acute angle and in such a way as to tend to pull the levers 43 and 80 toward each other at their portions spaced from the pivot 8|. Thus when such levers 43 and 8B are drawn apart, the spring 81 forms a progressively stronger resistance to their separation and the links 85 and 86 form means for eventually preventing further relative angular movement of the levers 43, and 80 away from each other.

I will next describe the means for operating the lever 43 and the other parts for handling the shuttle. The means about to be described is simply illustrative and any means for operating Pivoted to the end of the the mechanism from some suitable driving shaft or other moving member may be employed.

The shaft 98 is a driving shaft supported to Before describing the selvage loopretainerscarried and operated as parts of the units, I shall describe the practical operation of my units so far as the shuttle is. concerned.

Assume that the shuttle 36 shown in Figure 1 has just traveled its path on the heddle Hi9 and is ready to enter the unit. The shuttle'has now reached and contacted the roller 38. mentum of the shuttle as it travels up its curved path will move the roller 38 ahead of the shuttle. The motion will be communicated to the lever 73 and to the lever 43, tending to carry them to their dotted line positions shown in Figure l. The very short movement of the lever 43 carries the pawl 82 along the rack 69 to the teeth on the rack, and after that movement there can be noreturn of the lever 43 and connected parts until the pawl is released.

As the movement of the lever 43 continues, it is obvious that the finger 68'moves away from the toggle lever member 46.

The cam groove 94 is so shaped that during the early part of the movement of the various parts of the unit, dueto the momentum of the shuttlefthe A link 98 is pivoted to the arm'4'4 on The mo-' cam roller 91 may leave the cam face of'the groove without harm.

Owing to the connection of the lever 13 with the lever 13 and the connection of the latter with the f bracket I8, it will be seen that there'can be considerable motion of the levers l3, '45 as the shuttle travels up its grooved path, while at the same time, there isvery little: movement of the lever 43 and the other parts connected therewith.

There is thus a very graduated acceleration of movement in the heavy parts of the group, al-

though the roller 38 and lever 13 may and do as to engage the periphery of the shuttle and serves to hold it from rolling back onto the heddlesv The momentum of the shuttle is nearly enough but not quite enough to carry it to the top of its movement; Almost as soon as the shuttle starts on its upper path, the pawl 62 becomes effective, and when all the potential energy in the rolling shuttle has been absorbed, the pawl 62 holds the parts in the position which they have then as sumed.

It is plain that the shuttle has furnished the energy necessary to trap itself in the, grip of the unit. The roller 40 will have followed the shuttle. The levers 83 and links 85 and 83 and spring 81 hold the roller 84 against its cam face; The links 85, 86 will have spread out, giving thema tre-j mendous advantage over the, spring 8'i,, so that the shuttle is held by a grip, which is amply secure although somewhat yielding.

It will be understood that the shaft 90 is operated by mechanism not here shown in such a way as to bring the cam groove 94 to position so that the cam and the cooperating parts will carry the shuttle 36 to its extreme upper position.

Thus by the cam action, the link 98 is actuated longitudinally to the left (Figure 1) for swinging the free end of the lever 43 farther upward, and causing the roller 40 to move the shuttle to its final position.

Thereupon the head of the screw I (Figure 1) engages the toggle lever member 50 moving the toggle from its full line position to its dotted line position of Figure 1, and moving the rack 68 away from the pawl 62. At the same time, the cam will be actuated for moving the parts with a rapidly accelerating speed from their dotted line position shown in Figure 1, toward their full line positions, for expelling the shuttle with tremendous force.

It will be observed that the shuttle travels around the shaft 2i which is located in line with the corner of the woven cloth (see Figure 6). At no time in the travel of the shuttle will there be any substantial slack in the wire emerging from the shuttle eye.

I have already explained that the member 22 forming part of the shuttle path is somewhat resilient, and this takes up some of the shock. The upper end of the member 22 can be adjusted somewhat to provide means for controlling the wire between the selvage loop retainer and the shuttle eye. If the path is moved to the right, more wire will be pulled from the shuttle as it rises, thereby adding somewhat to the tension of the wire as the shuttle rises, and allowing a little looseness as it descends.

On the other hand, if the member 22 is moved to the left (Figure 1), less wire will issue on the up movement, and the wire will be fully tensioned as it issues during the down movement.

The units may be adjusted laterally in the machine for weaving cloth of different widths.

By mechanism not shown, the unit including the lever 43 is caused to move over its entire range once in every two machine cycles,that is, it will go through its functional motion whenever the shuttle is to be ejected from its side of the loom. Part of this motion is imparted to the unit by the movement of the shuttle under normal conditions, but all or any part of the operation can be accomplished by the machine cams, if the shuttle should fail.

The final expelling motion of the unit returns all the parts to their original position. On this delivery stroke, the roller 84 engages the opposite side of the cam slot 42 at a point to cause the roller 84 to move to its position shown in full lines in Figure 1.

As the shuttle rolls across the heddles, it delivers the weft wire and as it passes into the opposite unit, it lifts the weft wire almost to weaving position. The weft wire may be heat into weaving position by a beater not here shown.

I shall now describe a selvage loop retainer, which can be used with my unit.

In the shaft 2| is a groove I 0 I. In this groove and extended through the shaft is the selvage loop retainer I02, which is allowed some sliding movement and some tilting movement.

The slot IOI opens upwardly. A pin I03 in the shaft 2| and above the loop retainer at the outer end of the shaft, which is the right-hand end as shown in Figures 3 and 5, keeps the loop retainer from rising in the slot at that end.

Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 5, the bell crank lever I04 is pivoted on a lug I05 projecting from the boss 20. One end of the bell crank lever projects into the path of the beater, not shown, and the other end is pivoted to a link I06, which in turn is pivoted to the selvage loop retainer I02, as at I01. A spring I08 is fastened to the bell crank lever and to the frame I6 to normally hold that end of the bell crank lever, which is to be engaged by the heater in its lower position, and thus to hold the selvage loop retainer in its projected and normal position.

As the shuttle reaches its upward and outward limit of movement, the beater is operated by mechanism not shown to move the last laid weft wire to woven position. In this movement, the beater engages the bell crank I04, raising its lower end and actuating the selvage loop retainer to force it back out of the path of the beater.

When the beater drops, the spring I08 actuates the bell crank I04 and permits the bell crank to advance the selvage loop retainer to its normal position just below the last laid weft wire.

Then when the shuttle is expelled, the weft wire is carried firmly around the selvage loop retainer, and the outside warp wire.

The loom feed, not here shown, then raises the cloth another course.

Since the loop retainer is still in the cloth, it must be free to rise with it. This is permitted by the arrangement of the selvage loop retainer 3 in the slot 2!, the loop retainer being shown in its lifted position in Figure 5.

As the beater rises up with the next weft wire,

the loop retainer is again pulled from the cloth i and retracted to allow the beating of the weft into place. At this time, of course, the shuttle is at the other end of the loom. Immediately, however, the shuttle returns, and a new weft is laid, and the process is repeated.

In the construction shown, the selvage loop retainer is carried by the unit, so that upon adjustment of the unit for weaving cloth of different widths, there occurs proper adjustment of the selvage loop retainer.

It is my purpose to cover by my claims, any such modifications in the structure shown and in the arrangement and construction of the parts as may be reasonably included within the scope of such claims and of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. Weft laying mechanism adapted for use in a loom having means for advancing warp members in a substantially vertical path, means for forming a warp shed and a supporting path for a shuttle rolling through the warp shed, said mechanism including a rolling shuttle, means for projecting it through such a warp shed for laying the weft wire, and means for thereafter conveying the shuttle on a curved path to position substantially in the weaving line.

2. In a shuttle operating device adapted for use in a loom having mechanism for forming a warp shed, means for projecting a shuttle through the warp shed and spaced from the weaving line, a pocket for receiving the shuttle after it has been projected through the warp shed, said pocket being curved substantially on a radius about the ends of the weaving line, whereby movement of the shuttle into the pocket swings the weft wire from-its spaced position relative to the weaving line, to the extended weaving line and movement of the shuttle out of the pocket to the line of projection is accomplished without developing'any slack in the weft wire.

3. In a weaving. machine having means for forming a warp shed, means for projecting a shuttle in a path spaced from theweaving line and through the warp shed-guidemeans for controlling the ends of the path of the shuttle, said guide means beingoperable to cause the shuttle to swing substantially circumferentially about the ends of the weaving line in the direction from which the warp is being fed to bring the weft wire to the weaving line, a pick, means for inserting said pick in front of the weft wire and at the weaving line, said guide means being then operable to cause reverse swinging of said shuttle substantially circumferentially about the end of the weaving line to the central portion of the path of the shuttle through the warp shed.

4. In a weaving machine having means for advancing the warp members and the woven cloth vertically and having means for forming a warp shed, means for projecting a shuttle in -a path spaced below the weaving line and in a straight line through the warp shed, and means for conveying said shuttle when it reaches each end of said path upwardly in one direction and then in the reverse direction along secondary paths, which are curved substantially circumferentially about the ends of the weaving line, in the plane of the fabric being woven and means at the ends of the path of travel of the shuttle through the warp shed for engaging and following the shuttle and preventing its return movement after it has been engaged by said last-named means and until the shuttle has reached the limit of its movement away from the Warp shed.

5. In a weaving loom, having means for advancing the warp members and the woven cloth vertically, and having means for forming a warp shed, a shuttle, shuttle operating mechanism having means for receiving the shuttle from the warp shed and conveying it upwardly on a path substantially along the arc of a circle having its center at the nearest end of the weaving line, to a point substantially in the extended weaving line, means, actuated from the shuttle when it enters the shuttle receiving means for preventing return movement of the shuttle until the shuttle has reached a certain position, and means for discharging the shuttle from such point backwardly along said path and then through the warp shed.

6. In a weaving loom, a, shuttle operating unit, comprising a frame mounted for lateral adjustment on the loom frame, said unit having a curved channel-shaped guide for a shuttle, means for engaging and following a shuttle when the latter enters said guide, for preventing the return of the shuttle and for advancing the shuttle to its extreme position, and means for then driving the shuttle from said position back through said guide with accelerating speed during its progress back along the curved path.

7. In a weaving loom, a shuttle operating unit, comprising a frame mounted thereon for lateral adjustment on the loom frame, said unit having a channel-shaped guide for a shuttle, said guide being curved on the arc of a circle having its center approximately at the end of the weaving line, and its outer end in the extended weaving line, means for engaging a shuttle when the latter enters said guide, for preventing the return of the shuttle and for advancing the shuttle to its extreme position, and means for then driving the shuttle from said position back'through said guide with accelerating speed.

8. A shuttle handling unit for a weaving loom,

with said series. for causing said roller to engage V a shuttle entering the guideway and prevent the return of the shuttle and for moving it to its extreme position ready for discharge.

9. A shuttle handling unit for a weaving loom, comprising a frame with a curved guideway for a shuttle, an o erating lever pivoted on the frame, a compound lever structure operatively connected with said first lever for discharging the shuttle with rapidly accelerating speed, when the first lever is moved in one direction, a series of levers and a roller operatively connected with said first lever, cam means onthefrarne for cooperating with said series for causing said roller to engage a shuttle entering the guideway and prevent the return of the shuttle and for moving it to its extremeposition ready for discharge, and means for adjusting said guideway with relation to the frame.

10. In a shuttle handling mechanism for weaving-looms, a frame, a shaft supported thereon, a lever pivoted on the shaft, a toothed curved rack pivoted at one end on the frame, a pawl on the lever, and means controlled by the lever for maintaining the pawl and rack in operativerelation during one stroke of the lever and for maintaining them in inoperative position during the return stroke, and means actuated from the lever for operating a shuttle.

11. In a shuttle handling unit for weaving are of a circle having its center at the nearest 1 I end of the weaving line, whereby a shuttle may 12. In a shuttle handling unit for weaving '7 looms, a frame having a curved channel forming a guide path for a shuttle, means for adjustably mounting the unit frame on a loom frame in such position that the channel will be in the arc of a circle having its center at the nearest end of the weaving line, whereby a shuttle may enter the channel from the warp shed, and travel to a point in the extended weaving line, and then return in said channel to the warp shed, holding means actuated by the entering shuttle for preventing discharge of the shuttle until the shuttle has reached its extreme limit of movement, additional means for carrying the shuttle to 'said' a guide path for a shuttle, means for adjustably' mounting the unit frame on a loom frame in such position that the channel will be in the arc of a circle having its center at the nearest end of the. weaving line, whereby a shuttle may enter=v the nel, means for then releasing said holding means, and means for discharging the shuttle with a reverse movement from said channel, said discharging means including a roller and a compound lever for driving the roller behind the shuttle with a. rapidly increasing acceleration.

HERBERT L. THOMPSON. 

